Alan + Anna
The story of Alan and Anna begins in August 2018 on North Avenue Beach in Chicago. They had both signed up for a beach volleyball league as “free agents” and as fate would have it, they were placed on the same team, Indy Team #15.
Alan had his eye on Anna from the very beginning (and not just because of her impressive volleyball skills). While the team had its moments on the court, the real story was getting to know each other at team festivities after the games. They soon found that they had more in common than a shared interest in rec volleyball, and found themselves sitting next to each other making conversation week after week.
Anna + Alan attend Surge Gala with friends
The real catalyst for the relationship was a gala that Anna invited the team to in September. This presented a great excuse for Alan to spend more time with Anna, and for the first time in a non-sports environment. Later that weekend, Alan joined Anna and her friends for brunch, where Anna made a “birthday beignet” for Alan and led a rousing Happy Birthday song.
After this weekend (still one of the great birthday weekends in memory), Alan with all his great wisdom thought, “I think she might be interested in me but I’m still really not sure.” So he did what any reasonable person would do and asked her out on a lunch date. Anna countered with a frankly much better offer to accompany her to a dinner event at Gibson’s Steakhouse. Of course, Alan quickly agreed and on Thursday met Anna on Michigan Avenue for a walk, and a donut, before dinner. Two years later, they were surprised when they realized that the wedding venue they’d chosen was directly across the street from this first meeting place.
Alan chasing a bunny on our first date
Not surprisingly, the Gibson’s date was an amazing success. Just when Alan was asking himself, “how could this get any better?” there was a guest appearance by J.B. Pritzker, then-candidate for Illinois Governor (or as I knew him, “that guy from the TV ads”). Pritzker aside, this night was so much fun that it turned into an hour of walking around the neighborhood aimlessly. This first date turned into more dates, more delicious food, more volleyball leagues, and eventually a year and a half of travels and unforgettable experiences.
And as if we needed any more evidence that Indy Team #15 was the greatest free agent team ever assembled, the roster also featured Brandon Metoyer and John Watson, who will be standing with Alan and Anna on their wedding day.
Proposal
After a couple months of telling Anna that he was studying for actuarial exams while actually shopping for an engagement ring, Valentine’s Day arrived. On Valentine’s Day 2020, Alan took Anna out to dinner and when they returned to his apartment, Anna was surprised to see an empty room decorated with flowers and lights on the walls. She remembers nothing of the next 30 seconds, but I promise she said “Yes”.
COVID
The wedding was originally planned for May 15, 2021, but the COVID pandemic forced us to move the ceremony to 2022. To honor the original plan, Alan and Anna were legally married on May 15, 2021 with immediate family present at the Glessner House in Chicago. After 11 months of being happily married, the wedding ceremony on April 16 is our chance to finally share the moment the way we always wanted to, with all of our loved ones present.